Bruce is a masculine given name of Scottish origin. It is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Brus, which means "bush" or "thicket". The name has been associated with several notable historical figures in Scotland, including Robert the Bruce, who was a king of Scotland from 1306 to his death in 1329.
The name Bruce gained popularity outside of Scotland during the Victorian era when it became fashionable for English families to adopt Scottish names. Today, Bruce is still considered a strong and robust name that has been popular among parents for many years.
Some famous individuals with the name Bruce include American actor Bruce Willis, Canadian comedian Bruce McCulloch, and Australian cricket player Bruce Reid. The name has also been used in pop culture, such as in the Batman character Bruce Wayne/Batman, who is named after Robert the Bruce.
Here are some observations about the statistics concerning the name Bruce:
* The name's popularity grew significantly over time, from just 47 births in 1880 to a peak of 3789 births in 1940.
* The greatest increase occurred between 1912 and 1915, with a leap from 328 to 663 births.
* Between the years 1920 and 1952, Bruce was consistently among the top ten boy names in the U.S., reaching its peak popularity in 1947 with 10,524 births.
* After 1952, the name's popularity began to decline, although it remained fairly common until the late 1960s.
* Since then, Bruce has become increasingly uncommon. In recent years (2018-2023), fewer than 600 babies were named Bruce each year.
* Overall, there have been a total of 385,744 babies named Bruce in the U.S. since 1880.